After successfully countering Zhao Ming and winning a brilliant battle to turn the tide in public opinion, the popularity of the "Tales of Immortals and Demons" live stream has been completely stabilized, and is even more popular than before.
The tips and gifts increased, and Zhang Shaozhong watched the numbers in his bank card slowly grow. He was finally relieved that he no longer had to worry about next month's rent and the food expenses for the two big shots.
But a new problem arose – he felt like he was becoming a professional nanny!
Previously, I only had to worry about basic necessities like food, drink, and sanitation. Now, I also have to worry about live streaming content, fan interaction, equipment maintenance, and dealing with sudden trolls like Zhao Ming.
More importantly, he discovered that his "laissez-faire chaotic style" cultivation seemed to have entered a... strange plateau.
That evening, Zhang Shaozhong returned from the supermarket carrying large bags of groceries and snacks. As soon as he entered the door, he collapsed onto the sofa, feeling completely drained.
"Oh my god... squeezing into the supermarket is like fighting a war!" he wailed. "Fairy, big sister, could you two share the shopping next time? My little body can't take it anymore!"
Ye Meier was nestled on the other end of the sofa, her newly done manicure scrolling rapidly across her phone screen without even looking up: "The capable should do more, kid! Look, I'm helping our live stream maintain relationships with our fans! This fan named 'Little Sweetheart' asked me for a lipstick shade, and I'm recommending one to her!"
Ling Qingxue walked in from the balcony with a cup of freshly brewed tea. She had recently become fascinated with observing the growth cycle of plants in the community garden downstairs.
She glanced at Zhang Shaozhong, who was sprawled out like a rag doll, and said indifferently, "Your aura has been fluctuating lately, and your chaotic energy seems to be stagnating. Is it because your mental energy has been excessively depleted?"
Zhang Shaozhong weakly raised his arm: "Stagnation? I feel like it's about to fall asleep! Fairy, can you take a look? Have I practiced my 'Zhang Family's Chaotic Flow of Laziness' incorrectly? Why do I not feel any progress at all? Apart from my ears still being a little sensitive and my eyes still being a little sharp, I haven't developed any new functions?"
Ling Qingxue put down her teacup, walked to his side, extended her slender fingers, and gently pressed them against Zhang Shaozhong's forehead, closing her eyes to sense it for a moment.
"Hmm..." She opened her eyes, a hint of doubt flashing in them. "The chaotic energy is still slowly nourishing your body, but its speed... is indeed slower than before. Could it be... that 'playing dumb' also has its limitations?"
Ye Meier finally looked up from her phone and interjected, "Isn't it simple? It must be because this kid has been working too 'hard' lately! He's worrying about this and that all day long, his mind is restless, and he's gone against the core principle of 'letting things slide'! When the Chaos Qi saw this, it thought, 'Oh ho, the host is working so hard, then I'll take a break too!'"
Zhang Shaozhong: "...Who am I working so hard for?!"
Ling Qingxue seemed thoughtful: "Mei'er's words, though said in jest, may not be without reason. When you were adapting to your senses before, you were free from worries and went with the flow, so the chaotic energy circulated smoothly. Recently, you have been busy with many things. Although you appear to be 'doing nothing,' you are actually anxious and overthinking. This kind of 'internal friction' may indeed be affecting the activity of the chaotic energy."
Zhang Shaozhong was taken aback, but after thinking about it carefully, it seemed that this was indeed the case.
Despite his constant talk of giving up, he was always on edge, worrying about his livestream data, his income, and the trouble the two big shots would cause... This mental exhaustion seemed to really affect his peculiar cultivation method.
"Then what should we do?"
Zhang Shaozhong said with a bitter face, "We can't just ignore everything, can we? Rent, utilities, food, drink, and even basic necessities—we have to worry about all of that."
Ye Meier's eyes darted around, and she said with a grin, "Simple! From today onwards, we'll implement a family responsibility system! Kid, you're in charge of earning money to support the family and core technology; you, the hypocrite, are in charge of... uh, cultural development and environmental optimization; and I, your mother... will be in charge of being beautiful and entertaining the masses! How about that? Clear division of labor!"
Ling Qingxue actually nodded: "Alright. Only when everyone performs their duties can things last. I can try to further optimize the energy field of this residence using the principles I know, which may benefit your condition." She meant continuing to study her modern version of feng shui.
Looking at these two big shots who finally showed some "family responsibility," Zhang Shaozhong felt a little warmer inside, but he still complained, "Easy for you to say! Big sister, are you responsible for being beautiful? You almost got into a fight with those trolls in the live stream yesterday! Fairy, are you responsible for improving your aura? Just don't trip the circuit breaker again!"
"You brat! How dare you question your mother!" Ye Meier threw a pillow at him.
Ling Qingxue glanced at him indifferently, and a wisp of barely perceptible cold air from her fingertips sent a chill down Zhang Shaozhong's neck.
"Okay, okay, I was wrong!"
Zhang Shaozhong quickly admitted defeat, then sighed, "But to be honest, my cultivation... can't just continue like this forever, can it? What if the chaotic energy really causes some trouble one day, and I don't even have any means to deal with it?"
Ling Qingxue pondered and said, "The chaotic energy is the power of origin, mysterious and unpredictable. Perhaps its growth and changes are not linear, requiring a specific opportunity or... a deeper state of mind of 'non-action'."
Ye Meier yawned: "If you ask me, you should stop thinking about the word 'cultivation' all the time! Just do what you need to do, and treat it like your own built-in air conditioner, radar, and night vision goggles, right? Maybe one day when you encounter some life-threatening danger, it will suddenly 'bang' and activate! Isn't that how it's written in novels?"
Zhang Shaozhong rolled his eyes: "Thank you! I don't want to experience that kind of 'explosion'!"
Although the future remained uncertain, Zhang Shaozhong felt much more relaxed after this lighthearted discussion.
Perhaps Ye Meier is right; I was too fixated on the form of "cultivation."
Since we can't control it, we should accept it, get used to it, and take advantage of its current benefits, just like we would with our height and weight. As for the future... things will work themselves out!
"Fine! Family responsibility system, right? I agree!"
Zhang Shaozhong jumped up from the sofa. "Then what about dinner tonight..." He looked at Ye Meier.
Ye Meier said matter-of-factly, "Why are you looking at me? I'm responsible for being beautiful, not for cooking!" He then looked at Ling Qingxue.
Ling Qingxue said calmly, "I can be responsible for tasting and... providing dietary advice."
Zhang Shaozhong: "...Fine, I'll do it!"
Well, it seems that the core position of this "nanny" is unshakeable.
Zhang Shaozhong resignedly tied on his apron and headed to the kitchen.
However, listening to Ye Meier's chattering game music and Ling Qingxue's rustling pages behind him, he suddenly felt that this kind of "cultivation" life, full of everyday life, was... not so bad?
At least, he can add an egg to his instant noodles tonight.
Hmm, maybe I can cut a sausage too?
This chaotic energy isn't very useful, but it should be able to help check if the ham sausage has gone bad, right?
With a jumble of random thoughts swirling in his mind, Zhang Shaozhong began preparing dinner with a series of clanging noises.
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